In the construction or building industry, it is known to incorporate various anti-microbial and anti-fungal agents within construction materials to thereby enhance the ability of the construction materials to inhibit undesirable growth of microbes or mold. Particularly in humid and wet climates, microbial and mold growth in building materials can cause many health related problems.
One example of a reference disclosing building materials which may incorporate such anti-fungal/microbial agents is the U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,850. The construction material disclosed therein includes a strawboard made of cereal stocks, such as rice, wheat, rye, oats and barley, the strawboard being manufactured through an extrusion process. Anti-fungal agents, anti-bacterial agents, mold inhibitors, rodenticides and the like may be added as ingredients to the strawboard composition, or may be applied as coatings.
A reference disclosing a foamed material which may be used for insulation and which incorporates an anti-microbial agent is the U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,190. The insulation material is a soy protein-based thermoplastic composition. The composition is made of soy protein combined with a foaming agent, an organic plastisizing agent, an aqueous medium such as water, and additives as desired. Articles formed from the composition have a foamed, cellular structure. The thermoplastic compositions are prepared by mixing together the components, and then molding the components by a compression molding process. Alternatively, the composition may be extruded to produce pellets. The anti-microbial agents disclosed, such as fungicides or bactericides, include sodium salts of propionic or sorbic acid, sodium diacetate, parabens, vinegar, monocalcium phosphate, or lactic acid.
In the construction industry, one particularly important health issue has been raised which involves remediation and prevention of fungal growth, particularly in basements or crawl spaces. Depending upon the particular type of construction, and the particular geographic area in which the building is found, crawl spaces, basements, or other areas within the building may provide suitable environments for fungal and/or microbial growth. Oftentimes, basements and crawl spaces are not adequately ventilated which contributes to growth of mold/microbes. In new construction, crawl spaces are often not ventilated until final steps in the construction which allows mold to grow and colonize to unacceptable levels. The mold may quickly spread to other areas within the building. This mold poses a health hazard to many individuals.
Current methods to remediate such mold problems may be expensive and structurally intrusive. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove and replace construction materials that have been sufficiently invaded with the mold or microbe.
Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need to prevent mold or microbial growth and to remediate buildings which have such mold/microbial problems.